Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-01-06
GREAT GUNS.
Some English Specimens-The Wool.
witch Hammer.
Cor, eaponde,sce Boston Herald.

Corr eapopdehce Boston Herald.
England's big guns are made of bars
cooled spirally and welded into solid
mass by the hammer. These red hot
furnaces contain straight bar; at
word the door Is slightly raised, and with
huge nippers it's head is seized by loops
made for the purpose. A steam winch
draws out the glowing mass and brings Il
TO a horizontal capstan liked before the
door. A water hose is turned upon the loop,
and while il blackens under tue chill
stalwart fellow, welding heavy sIedge,
fixes the loop, on nut projecting from
the capstans wheel. Then the machine
revolyes with Feslstless force, curling the
not metal round and round on it's drum
neatly and smoothly, and as easily as one
of Jordan s. Mafsh's girls would wind
ribbon. SO the coii is formed, whether for
the breechspiece or the body Of the gun,
or Tor its aCkat. This again is cooled,
and after u W BIfe is retired for welding I'M
der the hammer. Or we'd a
You Ouz tr9 TO see this W00lwich ham,
mer. 1t weighsiTOrty tons sheer weight,
and when itldr0Ds it falls forty feet on to
block that rests on spiles, massive ma
sonry and enormous quantities OF iror.
Between two great shaIJs this hammer is
suspended, a solid block which, driven
from above by steam and gathering in-
petus as IL falls, strikes with a force Oh
many hundred tons. A veteran work.
man mas charge OF this massive hammer.
lie starts aud drops il by a touch OF MS
thumb and finger. l saw an Qpen-j ace
watch laid down on the block; then lie
dropped the hammer, and he stopped it
lust IN time to break the cry stal--anG
nothing more. They call this last opera
ton OF the furnace the great neat," and
about every monarch there Is IN Europe
mas seen it, just as did yesterday. Whle
| am wondering what tney thought about
it the furnace TO be empt ed Is f1aring
with impotence. Through the intersuces
of its great door blue, red and purple
flames are leaping out. A huge crane
SWINGS round PAIR OF pincers, AZ the end
OF which dozen Brltons cluster. he
door rises little, tue white light blinds
us, and, although | am at least twenty
yards away, the heat burns my face un-
| comfortably. Water is thrown into the
| awful gap, and then the men perceive
! their prey. The huge arms part and
| firmly close, the door rises to its fullest
extent, a CLASH OF the crane gear, shout
| from tie men and out it comes, easily
and softly, mOnstrOus coil. Tie crane
! swings about and places 1t on end upon
! the anvil. Then the hammer tails, shak-
| lng the solid floor beneath us, crus hing
| the red hot mass inches down at blow,
welding its coils together so that they
can never part. But the inside hollow
mas been knocked out OF shape by tnIs
proc IS, SO, when the tube mas been re-
| duced TO its proper length, solid man
| drill is deity slipped betWiXt the hammer
| and the iron. For TWO or three blows the
| contracted coil attempts resistance, but
it gives way, and the maDdril slips to its
base, as into butter. Then the greaJ pin
GERS are used again, and il drops the mass
on it's side, where again IT is battered and
struck ali round. Tue lrres ularItIes
caused by all this hammering are after
ward removed by the plane, and then the
gun is made by other machinery.